Masters in Public Health for Indian students by UNSW, Sydney to address skills gap in the industry
New Delhi: The University of New South Wales, Sydney has announced admissions to a Masters in Public Health (MPH) for students from India in partnership with India’s leading healthcare organization, Apollo Hospitals and its education arm – MedVarsity.
This specially designed program is aimed at those looking for a career in public health to address the growing social issue of maintaining public health in the country. The MPH program will provide students with advanced disciplinary knowledge and skills to undertake population health roles in government, community and health service agencies in any international setting including the Indian sub-continent. The program can be undertaken either full-time or part-time through online mode to encourage students to continue working while they study and comprises a total of 8 courses of 48 units of credit (UOC) with 168 hours of internship.
For program beginning Term starting Mid- February of 2019 the closing dates for applications is 30 November, 2018 For program beginning Term starting Mid- September 2019 the closing dates for applications is 31 July, 2019.
The program fosters sophisticated understanding and application across the complex body of multidisciplinary knowledge of public health including epidemiology, biostatistics, social determinants of health, health promotion, population-targeted health research methods, and health program design, implementation and evaluation. Graduates are equipped with the specialized skills needed for professional practice in public health across a range of contexts, including Ministries and Departments of Health, government and non-government organizations, primary care and community healthcare services in both public and private sectors. The program fosters judgment-ready practitioners who can contribute to improving public health outcomes in specific and diverse settings.
Commenting on the importance of the MPH for Indian students, Mr. Amit Dasgupta, India Country Director, University of New South Wales, Sydney said, “India was ranked 154th in the ranking of healthcare quality amongst 195 countries according to a study on Global Burden of Diseases. Health is a central concern in the economic development of India. The Masters in Public Health offered by UNSW will help create future professionals who will be able to contribute meaningfully to achieve better health outcomes by designing and implementing key policy changes in the sector.
It reflects UNSW’s continued commitment in partnering with the Government and medical institutions in creating a cadre of public health specialists.” Professor Rebecca Ivers, Head of School of Public Health and Community Medicine said, “There has recently been an increase in awareness of public health education in India and with the recent launch of the ambitious Prime Minister’s health insurance scheme (Ayushman Bharat) there is a huge demand for public health professionals, and our UNSW degree is an ideal fit. We have substantially reduced the fee for the online offering as a part of our commitment to the UNSW India strategy and this flexible approach will suit busy health professionals who would like to continue their work while studying”.
The coursework is delivered by world-class research-oriented academics at UNSW’s School of Public Health and Community Medicine. For those students studying fully online from India, the capstone learning experience is undertaken in India, provided through their partner networks in leading organisations including the George Institute for Global Health India, SRM University Chennai, Apollo Hospitals Total Health Program. Students will be in a dynamic, virtual classroom with other students from Australia and around the world and studying toward a UNSW awarded Master of Public Health. The requirement for entry into both the Sydney-based and fully online Master of Public Health program requires applicants to have either an equivalent of a four year degree in a field relevant to public health or a three year degree and two years full-time professional or volunteer experience in the field. About UNSW, Sydney: Located in Sydney, a safe and student-friendly city, UNSW is home to more than 52,000 students from nearly 130 countries.
UNSW has been attracting a growing number of bright Indian students for undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Business, Commerce, IT, Engineering, Design & Architecture as well as Public Health. As one of the world’s leading research and teaching universities, UNSW’s cutting-edge research and innovation, facilitated by 3,000 faculty members – is known for acceptance and successful commercialization. The 2019 edition of the QS World University Rankings: Graduate Employability, that reviewed 500 universities, has placed UNSW 28th in the world for graduate employability.